


A grief of one hundred years

by ElnaK



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, Post-Turn Back the Pendulum Arc, Treason, soul society - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25432693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElnaK/pseuds/ElnaK
Summary: The morning comes, and the facts of a treason are brought to light. In a few hours, Soul Society lost six captains, three vice-captains, as well as the kido corps commander and lieutenant, eight of them to a terrible experiment, three to treason. A captain meeting is called: the ones remaining have to deal with the outcome.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. No salvation

**Author's Note:**

> Because while there are a lot of visoreds-afterthefacts fics, I've found only one fic that dealt with how the Soul Society took the blow of the events of TBTP. With how, because of Aizen's manipulation and from what they knew, it was entirely normal for them to react as they did.
> 
> Because the Gotei was as betrayed in that event as the visored were, and the only difference is that Aizen didn't reveal himself to them ( yes, they were played, but so were the visored. Aizen chose to reveal himself to them, and as he said... Shinji may have seen through him, but he was played nonetheless ).

Shunsui was rarely woken up with a summon to a captain meeting – alright, that wasn't true, he often was, because he napped a lot, but this wasn't a nap, this was an honest-to-god morning wake-up, and that wasn't usual.

What's more, an “emergency captain meeting, vice-captains' presence requested”.

Another one.

Just after the one from the night before, the emergency meeting about the ninth division highest ranking officers falling off the grid. The meeting during which Urahara – calm, collected, if a bit awkward, and more than that, very-intelligent-though-I-keep-it-under-wraps Urahara Kisuke, captain of the twelfth division – had barged in late, looking absolutely panicked, and begged to be sent alongside the others, and Shunsui had... Shunsui had brushed off his fears.

The meeting during which he'd sent Lisa-chan instead.

Now, Shunsui had been a captain for about nineteen centuries, and that meant he'd seen countless colleagues die. Him and Jushiro had taken the place of two of the original Gotei 13 captains, what, oh, something like one thousand and nine hundreds years ago – the two had been the first of that generation, the founders of the Gotei 13, to die. Of the old guard, Yama-jii and Retsu-senpai remained, as well as the four who'd gone and become the zero division, the royal squad, after the Soul King had been sealed, nine hundred years ago. Well, them and Sasakibe, who remained in Yama-jii's shadow, as well as Old Komamura, who'd retired about three hundreds years after Shunsui had made captain, a rather weird situation where he'd gone and taken out his own heart, looked more human for a time, and finally turned into a gigantic wolf. Yes, weird.

The point was, Shunsui had seen more than a hundred people taking their predecessor's place, only counting the captains, triple that with the vice-captains, and let's not talk about all the lower-ranked shinigami. Even if he didn't want to contemplate anyone dying, especially people he liked such as Lisa, it didn't change the fact that he was somehow... used to it.

So no, he didn't panick. He hurried up just a little bit, because this was serious, much more than talks of budget – that definitely was a meeting he wasn't waiting for even though it came back every year – but he did not fall over himself wanting to have news right now, right here.

For all he knew, the three captains who'd gone to deal with the situation – whatever that was – had found Muguruma and Kuna, saved them, and uncovered something they had to talk about with everyone urgently. For all he knew, no one had died.

For all he knew, everyone had.

So yes, he didn't waste time like he'd normally do, because this was an emergency captain meeting. But no, he didn't rush either. Because he'd seen countless people die, because he would likely see many more, and because he had no idea whether or not anyone had died last night.

**oOo**

When Shunsui arrived at the assembly hall, Jushiro was already there, but only preceding him by a few seconds, if his posture and the way his body was angled were anything to go by. Yama-jii, of course, was sitting at the end of the hall, waiting for everyone to arrive – he seemed particularly... intense; not that he ever wasn't intense, but this... This did not bode well.

A head nod towards his best friend, a step to get on his spot of the even line, and Shunsui looked at the others, already at their spot, or still coming in. Today was definitely not a day for small talk.

Jushiro looked well – which was always a good thing to see, considering his health – if worried.

Iba Chikane was standing just behind the spot where Otoribashi was supposed to be standing, and while that might mean she was merely waiting for him to get there... Well. Shunsui was also waiting for Lisa to get back. Maybe she'd gone directly to her quarters after getting back.

Maybe.

It didn't seem all that likely. Especially considering who had yet to arrive.

Retsu-senpai and her vice-captain, Yamada Seinosuke, were there. Kuchiki Ginrei and his son Sojun-kun too. Kotsubaki seemed to be waiting for Aikawa without exactly realizing what was going on, probably because he didn't know about the meeting from the day before. The ninth division had neither its captain nor vice-captain.

Shunsui's eyes met Aizen Sosuke's as the vice-captain discreetly made his way behind Hirako's spot – where Hirako Shinji definitely was not – and the younger man gave him a nod reminiscent of the one from the night before. Then Omaeda Marenoshin came in, not looking surprised not to see his captain here already – which was suspicious in itself, because Yoruichi-chan always managed to be there before Shunsui, and he wouldn't be surprised to learn she was always the first one to arrive to any meeting – quickly followed by the eleventh division vice-captain and the tenth Kenpachi, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here – he had probably been glared down by Yama-jii after his absence at the last meeting.

The tenth division only had its vice-captain, a squinting woman who hadn't let anyone forget she was still waiting for a new captain twelve years after the death of the previous one, but that was normal – word had it that an unranked shinigami from the division had attained bankai and was being scouted out to take the captain exam, but the fact he had refused all ranked seats until now to take assignments in the Living World instead was grating on her nerves.

Shunsui moved a bit to look at the door – even if the worst had happened, they were still short a few capt...

The hard sound of Yama-jii's staff – or, you know, Ryujin Jakka, but, same difference – on the wooden floor startled him back into place.

When Shunsui looked back at the old man, Yama-jii's eyes were squinted slightly, as if in disappointment and slight anger – but not in surprise.

“I see Shihoin-taicho is missing as well.”

The fact that he didn't mention Urahara's equally unexpected absence didn't go over Shunsui's head, who glanced at his best friend. He really wouldn't like whatever was going to follow, he could already tell, and Jushiro looked just as worried as Shunsui felt.

Speaking of which, Chojiro-san wasn't there either. Knowing the vice-captain, he was probably running an errand for Yama-jii – and knowing Yama-jii, his absence wasn't a concern, because if something ever happened to Sasakibe-fukutaicho... Well. The old man would be more than “intense”.

Shunsui liked where this was going less and less. There were only six captains, out of thirteen, present, and they were also missing three vice-captains, notwithstanding Chojiro-san and the thirteenth's vacant station. In other words, out of the twenty-six highest officers of the Gotei 13, only fifteen were somehow left.

Replacing captains was a pain, on top of that. Bankai was hardly the only requirement, but with so many empty spots... who knew who would take the stations, and based on which requirements, aside from bankai?

Yama-jii looked at each of them, his eyes hard, and Shunsui had to stop himself from retreating under his hat, where their stares wouldn't meet.

“Captains of the Gotei 13, vice-captains. We are in an unprecedented situation. After the alert from last night, during which we learned of the disappearance of the two highest-ranked officers of the ninth division, we are now suffering the loss of the entire response team sent out to investigate, as well as the... betrayal of one of our captains, and of the Kido Corps commander. Central 46 is currently interrogating Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai on the matter. As soon as a decision is reached, Sasakibe-fukutaicho will inform us.”

That...

Was not what Shunsui had expected.

Well. No, it was. But not quite like that.

What did Yama-jii mean, betrayal?

Jushiro was obviously thinking the same thing, because he moved slightly out of line – perks of being at the end of it, and one of the old man's favorites – and asked exactly that.

“Betrayal!?”

A moment of silence, the vice-captains sharing uneasy glances in the background.

Instead of directly answering, the captain commander glared at the vice-captain of the second division.

“Omaeda-fukutaicho. Your report on this morning's events.”

The man made a face but complied, taking three steps for all the captains to see him properly.

“We were contacted early in the night by both the Kido Corps and the twelfth division, respectively reporting the use of two forbidden kido spells by their commander and the disappearance of the response team's reiatsu, as well as Urahara-taicho's even before that. The twelfth division had also registered several massive hollow reiatsu spiking in Fugai, where the response team had been sent, until those reiatsu simply disappeared. When Shihoin-taicho arrived at the scene, she found proof of kukanten'i, the space dislocation spell, being used there. By the time she came back, the twelfth division was reporting that a high spike of unknown energy had been recorded at their captain's quarters. At the same time, a standard ethics investigation in the research led by the S.R.D.I. launched last week found hidden documents in Urahara-taicho's personal research files pertaining to the hybridization of shinigami and hollows...”

That got Retsu to look particularly... unkind, and Shunsui himself was feeling rather ill. He wasn't exactly surprised to hear that the young captain had been doing research on a lot of things, including things that were more than questionable – and thought entirely impossible at that – because Urahara probably couldn't even stop himself from thinking about everything and anything, but he hadn't expected the younger man to act on it.

Because all this, even if it hadn't been told yet... Shunsui knew all too well where this was going. The treason accusations, the disappearances, the energy spikes, the hidden documents...

The Gotei 13 had been betrayed by high-ranking officers before, and that for various, more or less legitimate reasons, but this. This... The sheer number of casualties...

Last time they had lost so many high-ranking officers at once was during the great war against Juha Bach, the first rise of the quincies, about nine hundred years prior.

Never before had they known such betrayal, that it could almost rival Bach's forces – if not for the fact it wasn't endangering the balance of souls... yet.

But Omaeda wasn't finished, though Shunsui suspected the worst of the deeds had been, if not said, at least implied already.

“A reconnaissance team went to Urahara-taicho's quarters and managed to observe some of his actions during the rest of the night, despite the numerous countermeasures he had up and running, which is truthfully expected from our division's former third seat. We suspect that the only reason he did not notice us was because he seemed to be entirely taken with his experiments.”

“Experiments”. A word the captain of the eighth division was finding himself to be dreading more and more, as Omaeda still wasn't outright telling what those were.

“Our men witnessed Tsukabishi Tessai maintening high-levels barriers over the unconscious bodies of the missing officers, which were covered in hollow-like masks and other body modifications for Muguruma-taicho and Kuna-fukutaicho. All officers were emitting faint reiatsu traces with a similar signature to what had been registered at the scene in Fugai. For several hours, Urahara Kisuke worked on them, until he fell asleep at around three in the morning. We reported our findings to Central 46, which delivered a standing order of arrest for Urahara and Tsukabishi. They are now being interrogated in a closed court, while Shihoin-taicho is guarding the hollowfied officers.”

A hard silence fell over the assembly hall, as the vice-captain of the second division finished his report and everyone – left – took it – all of it, everything it implied and everything it meant – in.

Shunsui couldn't help but shudder as he thought back to the Onmitsukido officer who'd accompanied the hell butterfly which had given him the summons to this very captain meeting. The questions – whose presence could he confirm as being within Seireitei after yesterday's meeting, his own, Sosuke-kun, had he seen Urahara-taicho and the Kido Corps commander since then...

Definitely on the way to report to Central 46 before Urahara and Tsukabishi were interrogated.

Before any questions could be asked, though, Shunsui noticed the way Yama-jii was squinting at Omaeda, and...

“By which rights did Shihoin-taicho decide to ignore my summons to this meeting, and to keep watch over Hirako Shinji, Otobirashi Rojuro, Aikawa Rabu, Muguruma Kensei, Kuna Mashiro, Yadomaru Lisa, Sarugaki Hiyori and Ushoda Hachigen instead, Omaeda-fukutaicho?”

An uneasy wave of shock went through the assembly as the victims were finaly named. Shunsui himself had to grit his teeth as his vice-captain's name was said – he didn't know how to react, not to this, not to losing her to such an unexpected and inhumane betrayal, this was a first even amongst the numerous deaths of friends and allies alike he'd witnessed, and the worst, maybe, was that as far as he understood it, Lisa and the others weren't even dead yet, but were still as good as.

Hollows. Monstrous, rabid souls who'd feast on their friends if they were even given the occasion.

The very enemy they'd all been fighting against for centuries.

Maybe... There had never been hybrids before. Maybe there was something of them left in the wake of this terrible experiment. Maybe they could still reason, maybe...

But how could anyone know? Where did the hollow begin, and where did it end, even if they'd kept – perhaps, who knew, who would even be able to tell, what if it looked so but it in fact turned out to be all a front, what if the hybridization had left them more hollow than shinigami, but still able to pretend? – something of their personalities?

Which would be worse, them being themselves but needing to consume souls to remain sane, or them not having any of a hollow's weaknesses but all of its amorality?

Could they risk it?

All of them were at least vice-captains. Half were captain-class. If Urahara's experiment had been successful, at least in terms of powers – that meant adjuchas-class, at the very least. Possibly vasto lordes.

If they weren't sane, or in control...

But they didn't know that yet. It was highly likely that they – their colleagues, their friends – would need to be put down as hollows – again, which would be worse? Them being lucid enough to demand death, or them being so far gone that it would be best on all accounts to put them out of their misery? Perhaps them being lucid but not caring anymore. Perhaps...

The odds that it would all turn out okay – that they would be sane, that they would be the same, except with a mask on – were non-existent. Shunsui had lived long enough to know things were never that great – could they even take off the masks?

Omaeda's voice broke him out of these thoughts – but of course, they remained in the background, present if not addressed, just like the consequences of Urahara's actions would remain even if they pretended nothing happened. Which they wouldn't.

Anyway, back on the matter of the second division's captain.

“I can't say, sotaicho, but there was evidence of violent altercations, both in Fugai and at the dislocated space at the twelth's barracks. Shihoin-taicho seemed to think there was a possibility, should the victims awaken, that they would rage and attack whoever was present, even if restrained. Considering they were all high-ranking officers, she thought it prudent to have at least one captain-class fighter present.”

Yama-jii didn't look particularly appeased by that statement, and Shunsui was almost certain he'd seen the old man's upper lip twitch in disapproval and – was that suspicion?

Considering Yoruichi had been the one to recommend Urahara for captaincy, that he'd been her subordinate for decades, and that the both of them were known to be the best of friends – with rumors of more – that was probably legitimate. The young woman could as well be about to do something to help Urahara as she could be experiencing betrayal of the ugliest sort. Maybe both at the same time, actually.

Retsu-senpai chose that moment to intervene – being amongst the oldest people present sure had its advantages, including speaking up even when Yama-jii looked like he was about to deep-fry someone. Someone being probably blond and deceptively awkward.

“Sotaicho.”

The old man's attention jumped onto her, and she continued:

“About Hirako-taicho and the other victims. Is there any indication that they may be cured?”

Ah. The question. The one they all knew the answer to, but that still needed to be asked, in the unlikely case that they were all wrong.

A moment of hesitance – rare from an officer of the Onmitsukido, used to kill, not only hollows, but also people even in time of peace.

“It sounds unlikely, Unohana-taicho. Urahara's research seems to indicate he'd found a way to stabilize his experiments, and that unstable attempts at hollowfication would lead to soul suicide if not taken care of. And since the victims are still here...”

Right. Once something was stabilized, it tended to mean there was no way to undo it unless through destruction. Urahara had managed to get to the end of his experiments, and now it was too late.

On top of that fact, the evidence of violent reactions – as expected from high-level hollows, and therefore not surprising in this case – at the site implied that they had all lost their mind, or at the very least had been consumed by anger.

There was nothing to be done here.

No cure to be found.

No salvation.

All that because of Urahara Kisuke, and Shunsui hadn't seen it coming. Instead, he'd been thinking there was something weird abour Hirako's vice-captain lately, on top of the fact that the guy was just too nice to be real – okay, so Ju-chan was the same, but Jushiro could also be passionnate, and he'd never seen Sosuke-kun be taken with anything and that, that was ringing an alarm bell in Shunsui's head – but he'd been proven wrong, at least this time, about this particular problem. The vice-captain of the fifth had remained inside Seireitei all night, and there were witnesses.

Shunsui usually had a good intuition about people and their true nature, but it would be arrogant to think he could never be wrong about that. Just look at the facts: he'd seen something about Aizen Sosuke, and nothing had happened for now; on the other hand, he'd seen nothing about Urahara Kisuke – no, of course not, he'd seen plenty, but nothing like that – and here the evidence was telling him otherwise.

Shunsui still didn't believe the younger captain could have done what he'd done out of sheer malevolence, or as a result of a complete disregard of his colleagues' rights and lives, but apparently he'd done it nonetheless. Perhaps because he'd been trying to make them stronger and it had backfired horribly, perhaps because he had a screwed understanding of what was tolerable and what wasn't, perhaps because he'd lost his way while diving into the secrets of the world's making, but unless proof he hadn't done it was uncovered, for now there was no other answer than this one: Urahara Kisuke was responsible for the hollowfication of their colleagues.

How was he going to tell Nanao-chan about Lisa's fate – what could he even say to the girl who was waiting for the division's vice-captain to come back?

Yama-jii looked towards the door – Chojiro-san should come back soon, Central 46 had a tendency to deliver swift judgments when it was about treason, unlike with law-making. Shunsui wasn't sure he'd blame them for it, this time. Otobarishi, Ushoda and Sarugaki came from minor noble families, and Shunsui wouldn't take it kindly either if something like... that, was done to a family member.

In fact, he wasn't taking it kindly at all that it had been done to Lisa-chan, and the others were his friendly acquaintances too at the very least – the thought that it could have happened to any shinigami out there patrolling Rukongai, even Nanao-chan, chilled him.

“We can only hope that Central 46 will get an answer to that question from Urahara Kisuke.”

They were waiting, but Shunsui retreated under his hat a bit more. They already knew the answer. No going back. No cure.

**oOo**

Sasakibe Chojiro, vice-captain of the first division, was a more-than-adequate fighter who'd had a bankai for about two thousands and three hundreds years. Taking him head on would be dangerous and difficult for most captains.

He was not, however, the fastest of them all.

That was the thought which crossed his brain as he was knocked out from behind while waiting outside of the Central 46 compound.


	2. Lost potential

Jushiro watched his best friend as they were waiting for more news and discussing what could be done to deal with the many seats this situation had caused to be empty.

Yadomaru-san wasn't the first vice-captain Shunsui had lost – how many had Jushiro lost, himself? He'd been a captain for nineteen centuries, just like his friend. Out of the twenty-four vice-captains he'd had, only seven of them had left the Gotei alive, and three of those had left because of a grave injury.

His latest vice-captain... Well. There was a reason he had been asking Kaien to take the spot.

All the oldest souls in the Gotei were people who could, one way or another, live with the numerous deaths around them. Sure, Jushiro's physical body aged along his soul, a few days, perhaps a month or so, whenever a hard blow was dealt to him, whenever someone important – and they all, yes, they all were, maybe not to him, but they were important nonetheless – was taken by the job's dangers, but... He was still here, after centuries. Millenia. He was still here, because despite everything, he understood that this was all part of the reincarnation cycle, that there were still other people to protect, that another morning would come no matter how dark the night.

Shunsui, him...

When someone died, Shunsui lowered his hat, gave a sad smile, and took a nap. It was always going to happen, and Shunsui knew it. When he met someone – when he came to care about someone – Shunsui always knew that death would part them, and the only question was whether or not he'd be the first one to go – statistics, so far, were against him.

Shunsui was type who didn't mourn strongly when someone died, because he had – slowly, ever so slowly, but inevitably so – started mourning the moment he'd met them.

Oh, with a smile, certainly.

With a smile and a nap, because caring after so long – centuries, millenia – was exhausting, from what Jushiro's best friend always said, so he had to properly balance out how much caring and how much resting he did, unless he be unable to do his job as captain.

So no, Shunsui wouldn't lose himself because of Yadomaru-san's loss, just like he hadn't over any of his previous subordinates'. He'd take a nap, and perhaps he'd be slightly irritable for a while – with the circumstances, that seemed likely, and Jushiro still didn't know what to think of those.

Still. It'd be best for Jushiro to stick around a bit more than usual. Shunsui might not absolutely need him here, but that didn't mean having a friend close by wouldn't do any good either.

Jushiro closed his eyes a moment.

The circumstances.

He'd say he hadn't seen this – any of this – coming, and that would be true. He'd say he was surprised that Urahara-ku... Urahara would do something like this, and it would be true. He'd say he was shaken by the turn of events, and it would be true.

But he wouldn't say he was devastated. Jushiro liked to give everyone a chance, but he was old enough, and intelligent enough, to know that only thinking the best of everyone was a dangerously naive way of life.

Jushiro gave people a chance, and Shunsui doubted them, but neither judged the others until something actually happened.

This time, it had. What, exactly, had happened – Jushiro could only tell what he'd learned today. Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai had betrayed them all, and their fallen comrades more than anyone else. This was what the facts told, for now.

If Jushiro, one day, ended up face to face with the traitors – however that could happen, considering Central 46 was currently dealing with them, and that didn't tend to end in any kind of freedom – he'd listen to what they'd have to say, but he would be ready to draw against them.

Ukitake Jushiro wasn't a naive man, though he was an optimistic individual.

As he was thinking so, Genryusai-sensei finally asked the question that this whole discussion was begging to get to for some time already.

"We need to replace these seated officers as soon as possible. One division or two lacking either a captain or a vice-captain is one thing, but so many at the same time, and for some of them, lacking both of them? Unacceptable. Amongst your men, and amongst the vice-captains we have left, has anyone capable attained bankai?"

There.

Who would take the lead, now?

A captain was supposed to have bankai, to be considered apt for duty personality-wise, and to be able to actually lead their division.

Sadly, in a situation like this one – so many empty seats, so much lost potential – personality tended to be the first condition that ended up more or less overlooked. At least until someone better developped the proper aptitudes and the questionable seat-holder ended up doing something too outrageous to be kept around longer.

The skills to lead a division were more important, when you had the lives of hundreds – your soldiers – of thousands – all the souls and living humans they had to protect – in your hands. Even that, though, could be tempered by the appropriate vice-captain. Shunsui knew everyone in his division, their strength and weaknesses, but also needed a strict vice-captain to do his best work. Jushiro understood the importance of paperwork and minutiae, but his capricious health meant he sometimes had to rely on a vice-captain who could handle themselves and the division without him medium-term.

Bankai, on the other hand, was necessary.

Bankai was necessary because captains were supposed to be powerhouses, able to intervene when any of their men proved not to be enough. It didn't matter if you were the kindest, most compassionate and efficient captain, if an adjuchas could rip you in half the moment you came to rescue your soldiers. You had to at least hold on long enough for them to be able to retreat.

What Jushiro liked the less about this situation – aside from the obvious – was that he had no idea of who exactly would end up in seats of power. What kind of people.

Shinigami were strectched thin as it was – not most of the time, no, there were enough of them, but the moment people started dying, it became a different story. Roughly more than six thousands shinigami to survey the whole Living World – not only that, but to keep the machine running. Eighty percents of those six thousands soldiers were rank and file, able to kill the usual hollow easily but soon in difficulty when they were faced with hollows that had devoured more than a dozen souls. Captains and other officers who couldn't constantly be on the front, because someone had to keep the fort and make sure Soul Society remained standing, because they had to be ready to intervene if needed and for that they couldn't be busy elsewhere, because they knew from experience the needs of their newest soldiers and therefore were the best to coordinate everything.

Who, amongst the vice-captains present here, had bankai? Did some third or fourth seats attain bankai amongst the other divisions? Jushiro didn't know. There generally were at least one or two non-captain-rank officers who were on the waiting list for a captaincy, uninterested in the responsibilities, or considered unfit for such an office.

Today, options were needed.

Jushiro saw Ginrei slowly raise a hand – his face lined, his appearance calm, and yet, Jushiro had known him when he was just a child, no older than Kuchiki-taicho's own grandson today. A soul who had aged very, very quickly, burdened by so many rules and expectations. Barely four hundred years old – truthfully, an advanced age for a shinigami, as they didn't tend to live long, but not an age for a soul to look so old.

"My third seat finally mastered her bankai a few months ago. I refrained from recommending her for the captaincy of the tenth division as I believe it would do her good to spend some more time learning the rules of a higher-ranked seat before being trusted with such a responsibility, but the situation being what it is, her promotion might be in order, should she clear the tests."

Genryusai-sensei took a moment to observe Ginrei, no doubt to determine how confident the man was in his words, before nodding.

"I will ask, Kuchiki-taicho, that you tell her to fill the necessary paperwork for the test to happen within two weeks. If she clears the test, she will then take over the seventh division."

Ginrei nodded, and Jushiro thought Genryusai-sensei was probably taking care of Aikawa's division first because Kotsubaki Jin'emon, its vice-captain, was a passionate man who needed someone cool-headed to reign him in and take care of the administrative aspect of the division, and a subordinate of Ginrei was likely to fill both conditions.

One office filled – possibly.

So many more remaining empty.

Jushiro's attention was grabbed by the fifth division's vice-captain slowly raising his hand, as if reluctant to participate but willing to do his duty nonetheless.

"Yamamoto-sotaicho."

The old soul shifted slightly to look at the brown-aired man – Aizen Sosuke's family probably had some European ancestry, though he himself had been born in Seireitei.

"Aizen-fukutaicho, do you have something to contribute?"

"Yes, sotaicho. I've had bankai for some years, now, but I can't say I've mastered it quite yet. Nonetheless, considering the situation..."

The captain commander stared at the highest-ranking officer of the fifth division for a moment, before Jushiro saw his eyes taking a look at the many empty spaces in the assembly hall. Yes, normally they waited for a candidate to captaincy to actually master their bankai before promoting them – the training took an awful lot of time, and a new captain had other duties to see to when they took over – but this time... On top of everything, Sosuke-kun was his own vice-captain, and lacked a commanding officer right now. He'd be busy no matter what.

Genryusai-sensei squinted slightly, but nodded nonetheless.

"You will take the test within two weeks. You might want to consider who will fill your current position afterwards."

"About that, sotaicho... Our third seat is remarkably useful despite his youth. He should probably be able to handle the duties of a vice-captain in two or three years."

Jushiro raised his eyebrows – he remembered well the news of the child, the one who'd gone through Shin'o Academy in barely one year less than a decade ago.

Ichimaru Gin had entered the Gotei 13 at barely nine years old, already knowing his zanpakuto's name though not with complete knowledge of its shikai, proefficient in all of the four angular disciplines taught. The students of the advanced class generally spent the whole six years anyway, though some of them managed to shorten the curriculum – Urahara had taken three years, if Jushiro remembered well, but there were talks amongst the professors that the man hadn't exactly tried very hard, and he'd still gotten out with nearly perfect grades in everything, including the electives he'd taken – and yet not all of them reached shikai by the end of their academy years. Same thing, rank and file shinigami didn't necessarily master hakuda, hoho, kido and zanjutsu, and most of them only had a passing understanding of at least two of those sets of skills.

Ichimaru Gin had, in one year only – a time length no one before had ever broken – gotten his zanpakuto's name, learned enough kido to use it efficiently in combat, mastered shunpo, reached an acceptable level in hand-to-hand combat, and seized with efficiency all that made swordfighting. He'd entered the fifth division as an eighth seat, and had been promoted to third seat the moment his predecessor had disappeared during a patrol around the higher-numbered districts of Rukongai.

Genryusai-sensei, who wasn't only the captain of the first division, but the captain commander of the Gotei 13, knew these things very well. The old soul made it a point to, at the very least, know the abilities of every single shinigami within his ranks, even if he trusted his captains to handle their personalities, training and usefulness themselves.

That was probably why he only made a short sound of dismissal instead of pushing the question of a future vice-captain for the fifth division.

Jushiro took a look at the various missing officers – most of them, dead, or as good as – at their empty places in both the captains lineup and the vice-captains lineup.

His eyes fell on the places that should have been filled with Muguruma-taicho and Kuna-san.

"Genryusai-sensei, what about the ninth division?"

That division was in the most trouble. No captain, no vice-captain, and Jushiro wasn't forgetting that Muguruma-taicho had left for Fugai with four other ranked officers. No one had said anything yet, but it seemed likely that none of them had survived the night. A division with none of its top officers left...

"Apparently the fifth seat of the division, Tosen Kaname, was on his way back to Seireitei with a message from Muguruma Kensei on how something particularly unpleasant had gotten its claws into the shinigami he'd previously sent as a vanguard, when Urahara Kisuke proceeded with his experiments. As he is the only survivor of the other upper seats Muguruma took with him, we will promote Tosen to vice-captain for the ninth division, and he will be responsible for filling the missing ranks under him."

So, no captain for the ninth division yet. It would be hard for them to get back on their feet, but at least someone was going to take over the position of vice-captain – vice-captains had somewhat different conditions from captain; first of all, sheer power was not as much of a necessity for that rank, though they were supposed to be stronger than their subordinates. As a seated officer, Tosen had some experience already with paperwork and discipline... The only question would be whether or not he'd be able to hold his own in a captain-less division while tackling on even more duties.

As Jushiro thought so, a cough came from the opposite line.

A rather familiar cough.

Shunsui was tilting his hat back, a questionning look on his face.

"I've heard good things about the ninth's eighth seat, Yama-jii. Perhaps we should suggest promoting him to third seat alongside Tosen? Name's Komamura, Komamura Sajin."

Jushiro raised his eyebrows – he had no problem seeing where his best friend was going with that, but was this really the moment?

Genryusai-sensei, him, decided not to humor his old student – as he often chose not to.

"I am certain Tosen Kaname will do so if he considers it a fit choice."

While Shunsui's remark held some truth – as far as the eighth seat's potential was concerned – maybe it wasn't the time to go fishing for information, even if the man's name was Komamura, like the original captain of the seventh division.

Jushiro barely refrained from rolling his eyes as Shunsui tried one more time, possibly just to tick off Genryusai-sensei and dissipate the tense atmosphere – not that Jushiro approved, considering the atmosphere was appropriately tense, with the situation as it was.

"Come on, old man, not one comment on the family name? Or the fact that he wears a helmet at all times? Should I ask if we're likely to have a remake of what happened with Okami-jii?"

Before Genryusai-sensei could snap at Shunsui – Jushiro wasn't sure why he was being so open with the issue, because Shunsui was clever enough to have figured it out without anyone spelling it out for him – Jushiro sighed at his friend.

"Shunsui, please..."

The man turned to look at him, and.

Oh.

He wasn't doing it on purpose.

Or rather, he was, he definitely was trying to rile things up, but that was because he was... His eyes said it all. He was angry.

Just enough for it to push him into doing something stupid for no particular reason, like proposing a candidate for a higher seat in all honesty before somehow undermining that same candidate by threatening to expose something Komamura Sajin most likely didn't want to talk about, if he was truly Komamura Okami's descendant.

Shunsui seemed to realize what he was doing, and angled his hat back over his eyes, before taking a slight step back without saying another word.

Jushiro stared at his best friend for a moment, and then looked back at Genryusai-sensei. The old soul kept squinting at his wildest student for some time too, before moving on.

There were still so many empty offices.

"Does anyone else has a proposition?"

"I do."

Jushiro's eyes searched for the owner of the voice on the other side of the line, partly hidden behind Shunsui's large kimono-and-haori combination. The vice-captain of the tenth division was a middle-aged woman who'd held the position for close to a century already, though she didn't seem about to gain bankai any time soon – like most shinigami, actually. She'd led her division on her own for more than a decade, now, and she'd done a very good job of it... but that didn't change the need for a powerhouse, on top of the fact that she was truly pulling double-duty right now.

Jushiro thought he might have heard something about one of her soldiers attempting bankai a few years back, but he wasn't sure...

"Watanabe-fukutaicho."

That was as close to an encouragement to go on as you could get from Genryusai-sensei.

The woman cleared her throat.

"One of my unseated shinigami has been constantly refusing promotions for about three decades, and he specifically took all his Living World assignments in the coldest districts our division handles. I'm almost certain he used those assignements to further his training, as he has a fire-based zanpakuto which, we all know, helps when it comes to living in the cold. He actually started ignoring optional evaluations four years ago, but even so it's obvious his power levels have changed. I request the right to pull him off his current assignment to try and see if my suspicions are correct and he is refusing further responsibilities by not admitting having reached bankai."

Jushiro blinked, looked at Genryusai-sensei, and could have sworn the old soul would be pinching the bridge of his nose if he wasn't who he was – instead, he just looked intensely irritated.

"That soldier's name, Watanabe-fukutaicho?"

The vice-captain of the tenth seemed just as peeved with the yet-unnamed-man as Genryusai-sensei.

"Shiba Isshin, sotaicho."

"Shiba. Of course. You have permission to call him back from the Living World."

"Thank you, sir."

Jushiro sighed.

Isshin-kun, uh. Not really surprising. The Shiba were a powerful family, obviously – being part of the Five Great Houses did ensure that – but they tended to prefer being in the midst of things, in the field, no matter their power levels. Even Kaien agreeing to be his tenth seat all those years ago had been a long battle of wills, and the man still wouldn't be his vice-captain despite being particularly well-suited for the position.

Those of that family who made it to high ranks usually ended up here against their will, because the situation was complicated and someone had to do the job.

Just like now.

He should think of asking Kaien again, as it was. It'd been almost a year since last time – Jushiro intended to keep doing that for at least another decade before giving up, just in case. It wasn't often he found someone who could actually handle being vice-captain of the thirteenth division, considering his health.

So, how many seats left...

The door to the assembly hall slammed open, and a messenger from the inner-court troop called out to the captain commander, looking particularly shocked by whatever news he'd brought with him.

"Sotaicho! Central 46 has been breached by an unknown offender, and Urahara Kisuke as well as Tsukabishi Tessai escaped. Sasakibe-fukutaicho was taken out from behind, and did not see who it was."

No. It couldn't...

Before anyone else could say a word, Omaeda Marenoshin – vice-captain of the second division, commander of the patrol corps of the Onmitsukido – took a step and asked:

"Shihoin-taicho?"

The messenger closed his eyes – as if unbelieving of his next words.

"Missing, fukutaicho. And so are the victims she was guarding."


End file.
